Flouqil paint

Assuming my air gauge is accurate, I normally run 20- 35 PSI for Floquil paint. Polly Scale (water based paints) normally require slightly more. As for mixing, Floquil suggests 10% thinner, 10% glaze & 80% paint. With Polly Scale, I normally thin with about 10% water to start. IF required, I will thin more. Hope this helps. Larry M.

On 10/8/2007 4:36 PM snipped-for-privacy@comcast.net spake thus:

That jibes with my experience for both those paints. Once you start painting, it'll become obvious pretty quickly whether you have enough (or too much) pressure.

Better to start with too little pressure and increase it; if you have too much, you run the risk of both drying the paint too quickly with the air blast and of pushing the paint around, risking sags and blobs.

I rarely go over 20 lb for any of my airbrushing. I am usually between 10-15 lb for most of the paint brands I use. But since I'm usually painitng very small items (N scale) I don't need wide coverage. I suppose that if I was painting a side of an O scale boxcar then I would probably crank up the pressure and paint volume... :-)

Also there is a relation between the viscosity of the paint and pressure. The thinner the paint is the less pressure you need. And since one thins their own paint, that affects the air pressure one uses. There is no fixed formula - everybody has their own methods.

Peteski

It will vary with the airbrush. When I use my Paasche H3, 25-30 psi is usually adequate...but when I use my Paasche AU airbrush...which I use 95% of the time, all that is needed is 10-12 psi.

The "AU" is somewhat of a production airbrush with a pistol grip and can adjust from 1/8" to over 2" spray area...great for 0 gauge and restoring tinplate. Have been using both the H3 and "AU" for over 35 years.